Business Grants for Switching to Renewable Energy

Businesses in the West are being offered grants to help them switch to renewable sources of energy.

The South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) is injecting an extra £2m into a fund called Regen SW, which offers money and advice to help firms go green. SWRDA has now invested more than £5.3 million in Regen SW since 2002. 

The extra money will allow Regen SW to beef up its support to businesses.  It will also look at speeding up the transition to a low-carbon economy in the South West by promoting sustainable energy.

One local business that has already benefited from a Regen grant is The Mendip Centre at Blagdon, near Bristol. It is the headquarters of Holt Farm and the Yeo Valley dairy. It is currently installing a 130kW biomass boiler, which generates renewable heat. It is estimated it will save them £11,000 a year.

Green Energy – North Sea Wind Farm Could Power Europe

This week Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture announced plans for an incredible array of oceanic wind farms that may one day produce as much energy as the Persian Gulf.

Dubbed Zeekracht (sea power), the masterplan comprises a massive ring of wind farms centered around the Netherlands that spans seven adjacent countries.

By calling for such a large network of communal infrastructure and knowledge, the plan takes a giant step towards ensuring European energy independency by 2025.

Thanks to its high and constant wind speeds, shallow waters, and cutting-edge renewable industries, the North Sea is one of the world’s most suitable areas for large scale wind farming.

OMA states that “The potential magnitude of renewable energy in the North Sea in fact, approaches that of fossil fuel production in the Persian Gulf states today.”

The firm’s Zeekracht masterplan calls for a massive communal wind power infrastructure focused in an “Energy Super-Ring” around the Netherlands. The plan’s components include a Production Belt, which covers clean tech research and manufacturing, and an International Research Center that promotes cooperation, innovation, and development. Since large scale fishing is impossible in the vicinity of a windmill field, the areas will also be effectively converted into nature reserves that shelter fish and other sealife.

OMA states: “With its history, its ingenuity, its collective spirit, and its optimal geography, the Netherlands is poised to play a leading role in the development of the North Sea. Through policy and action, it could demonstrate the potential of individuals and nations to build towards a highly productive, cooperative and sustainable future – on land and sea.”

100W Bulb – Endangered Species

So we’re going to do away with the infamous 100W bulb, in favour of the more efficient, eco-friendly flourescent type.

The tungsten twin filament icon will be no more when stocks run out at shops and supermarkets (Tesco is the biggest seller of lightbulbs in Britain and will not be replenishing stocks).

The 75W variety is also a goner. It will save every household £7 per bulb per year, and potentially the same energy in Britain as a 1 gigwatt power station would generate, which will help to reduce CO2 emissions.

Is it me or is the “outrage”, reported in the Daily Mail, by “medical experts” somewhat overblown?

Apparently, energy saving bulbs take up to a minute to reach their maximum lux potential and don’t offer the same brightness. And if you sit really, really, really close to one for a long time you may get a headache.

When have you ever sat close to a 100W bulb?

Perhaps these complainers should find a nice beach-front property in Gaza, where there really is something “outrageous” happening. And with the continuous night-time bombing with white phosphorous and shells, they probably won’t even need to buy any lightbulbs.